Asbestos-cement pipe-making machine



AugQZS, 1942. V J. A. CANN ASBESTOS-CEMENT PIPE-MAKING manms Filed May 23, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 it- F1331;

Aug. 25,1942 J. A. CANN ASBESTOS-CEMENT PIPE-MAKING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 23, 1941 Fig.3

Aug 25, 1942. .1. A. CANN 2,294,273

ASBESTOS-CEMENT PIPEMAKING MACHINE Filed May 23, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet s Patented Aug. 25,1942 2 ASBESTOS-CEMENT PIPE-MAKING MACHINE John Arthur .Cann, Bickley, England, sum to Turner It Newall Limited, Spotland, ltoclnlaie, England, a British company Application May 23, 1941, Serial N0. 394,910-

In Great Britain May 27, 1940 I 11 Claims.

This invention relates to machines of the kind used in making pipes of asbestos-cement or like material, that is to say, fibrous material and a binding agent, by applying successive layers of the asbestos cement or the like to a rotary mandrel until a sufficient wall thickness has been formed. The mandrels are usually heavy, so that it is not easy to handle them and to lift them into position for the coating operation to begin.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a machine in which the mandrels are mechanically handled throughout.

A further object or the invention is to provide track means along which mandrels may roll and to construct part or the track means so that it can move between track-completing and mandrelreceiving positions.

Yet another object o! the invention is to construct a complete asbestos-cement pipe-making machine in which the mandrels are maintained with their axes always parallel to one line.

These and other objects will best be understood by the following description of one embodiment of. my invention, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, in which: 1

Figure 1 is a side elevation, Figure 2 an end elevation and Figure 3 a plan of part of one plant for making asbestos-cement pipes Figure 3a is a plan of another part of the plant shown in Fig. 1 and Figure 4 is a diagram of means.

The pipes are formed by building up successive layers of asbestos-cement on mandrels, one of which is shown at I within the pipe-forming mechanism proper. This mechanism comprises two rollers 2 and 3 rotating about fixed axes and a roller 4 rotating about a vertically movable axis and carrying a conveyor web 5 which carries the asbestos-cement to the mandrel I. This pipe- !orming mechanism is more fully described in application Serial No. 394,907'0! even date herewith and forms no part of the present invention, when a suflicient thickness of asbestos-cement has been built up on the mandrel I, the roller 4 is lowered to release the mandrel, the uncoated ends of which then drop onto the first part 6, of a runway or track consisting of three parts, each composed of two rails spaced apart at such a distance as to support the uncoated ends of a mandrel. The next part, I, of the track is movable relatively to the remainder,- each of the two rail sections which compose it being carried by an hydraulic ram 8. The rail sections of the the complete track part I carry rollers 9 which engage vertical 55 is between the position shown in Figure 2 and a position in which they are supported near their free ends by fixed abutments 24 secured to the upper ends of the stanchions III. The part I also carries upstanding brackets I I to the top of which are fitted additional rail sections which together constitute an additional movable track part or track-completing means I2. The third part 26, of the track is inclined slightly downwards so that the coated mandrels will run easily on being discharged from the pipe-forming mechanism, and the movable part I2 is inclined at the same angle as the part 26. The movable part! is, however, inclined slightly in the reverse direction So that mandrels on it tend to roll to the left as seen in Figure 1.

In operation, when a coated mandrel is to be discharged from the pipe-forming mechanism, the rams 8 are lowered so that the track 6 is completed by the part I2. As the rollers 9 move downwards, the part 6 of the track rocks downwards until the rail sections that compose it come to rest on the abutments 24, when they are inclined slightly downwards at th'e same angle as the parts I2 and 28. The mandrel then rolls over the whole track to apparatus diagrammatically shown in Figure 4, in which successively the pipe on the mandrel is calendered in a machine I8, described. in detail in application Serial No. 394,908 of even date herewith; the asbestos-cement is caused to set by steam treatment in a chamber I9 described in application Serial No. 394,909 of even date herewith; and the mandrel is removed axially from the set pipe while resting in a deformable cradle 20 forming partof the track means. The removal is effected by a de-.

coring mechanism 2|. The cradle 29 and mechanism 2| are described in application Serial No. 394,911 of even date herewith. When the mandrels have been removed their axes are still parallel to those of the rollers of the pipe-forming mechanism and they roll backwards down an inclined runway I3 until they arrive in theposi tion shown in Figure 3. In this position they rest on a series of rollers I4 mounted to rotate about an axis at right angles to the mandrel axis so that each mandrel can easily be movedv axially over the rollers.

In axial alignment with the rollers ll, there a further series of rollers It mounted in bearings in a fixed support It. These rollers I are so placed that when the movable part I is in its lowermost position they lie between the two rail Each mandrel in turn is so pushed until its end lies just above the rail sections of the part i. The operations are all so' timed that immediately a coatings of asbestos-cement or the like to-mandrels,-mandrel-coating means, track-means along which mandrels may roll to said coating means,

part of said track means being downwardly movcoated mandrel has passed over the part of the track completed by the rail sections l2, the rams 8 are raised so that the mandrel is carried upwards by the rail sections '1 until the position is reached in which they complete the track. During the upward movement the mandrel bears against inclined guides ll which prevent it from rolling ofi the part 1. When the, position is reached in which the part i completes the track, the track part 6 has been rocked into the position shown in Figure 2, in which it is inclined at the same angle as the part i, so that the mandrel rolls towards the left as seen in Figure l and into position in the pipe-forming mechanism.

It will be seen that I have provided track means including a part movable between track-comable, and means for lowering said downwardly movable part into a mandrel-receiving position.

2. In a machinei'or forming pipes by applying coatlngs'oi asbestos-cement or the like to mandrels, mandrel-coating means, track means along which mandrels may roll to said coating means,

part of said track means being independently separable from the remainder and movable from a position in which it completes the track to a vertically displaced mandrel-receiving position, and means for moving said part between said po sitions.

3. In a machine for forming pipes by applying coatings of asbestos-cement or the like to mean drels, mandrel-coating means, a pair of spaced pleting and mandrel-receiving positions so that the mandrels do not have to be lifted manually.

Moreover, the axis of the mandrel is maintained always parallel to that about which it is rotated during the coating operation. In consequence, all the movements of the mandrel, both before and after the removal of the coating that constitutes the pipe, are efiected by rolling it along a track or runway or by pushing it axially over rollers, and no complicated conveying inach'inery is necessary.

The invention is particularly useful when the coatings that form the pipes are applied by means of a conveyor web of width at least equal to the length of the pipe to be made, as in the machine illustrated. In machines working on this principle, it is particularly convenient to be able to roll the uncoated mandrels to the coating position, but it is usually necessary to remove a coated mandrel from the same side of the machine as that on which it was inserted. If a coated mandrel has to be rolled over the runway part reaches its lower or loading position the,

track is completed by the upper movable part.

Although it is preferred to make the two movrails forming track means along which mandrels may rollto said coating means, part of said track means being movable from a position in which it completes the track to a mandrel-receiving position, means for moving said part between said positions, and a plurality of rollers located between and having their axes parallel to said rails in said mandrel-receiving position of said track means, whereby to facilitate loading of said mandrel ontosaid rails.

4. In a machine for forming pipes by applying coatings of asbestos-cement or the like to mandrels, mandrel-coating means, track means along which mandrels may roll to said coating -means, part of said track means being independently separable from theremainder and movable from an upper position in which it completes the track to a lower mandrel-receiving position, and

able parts horizontal orsubstantially horizontal,

as in the machineillustrated, and to move them vertically up and down, the lower movable part of the track may be hinged to the remainder, so that it rocks downwards to receive an uncoated mandrel, appropriate stops being provided to prevent the mandrel moving off it until it is raised again to complete the track. In such a case the upper movable part may also be hinged about the same axis so that in side view the .two parts form a v.

Iclaim:

1. In a machineior forming pipes by applying hydraulic means for supporting said movable part and moving it between said positions.

5. In a machine for forming pipes by applying coatings of asbestos-cement or the like to mandrels, mandrel-coating means, track means along which mandrels may roll to said coating means, part of said tra'ckmeans being independently separable from the remainder and vertically movable from an upper position in which it completes the track to a lower mandrel-receiving position, and hydraulic means for supporting said movable part and moving it between said positions.

6. In a machine for forming pipes by applying coatings of asbestos-cement or the like to mandrels, mandrel-coating means, track means along which mandrels may roll to said coating means, part of said track means being movable from a position in which it completes the track to a mandrel-receiving position, additional track- -completing means movable with said movable part and mounted above said movable part by a distance equal to that between said positions,

coatings of asbestos-cement or thelike to mandrels, mandrel-coating means, track means along which mandrels may roll to said coating means,

separable from the remainder and movable from a position in which it completes the track to a vertically displaced mandrel-receiving position, means for moving said part between said positions, and mandrel-supporting means arranged in alignment with the surface of said movable part in its mandrel-receiving position, said mandrelsupporting means comprising a plurality of rollers rotatable about axes parallel to said track means.

9. In a machine for forming pipes by applying coatings of asbestos-cement or the like to mandrels, mandrel-coating means, rectilinear track means along which mandrels may roll to and from said coating means, return track means parallel to said first track means, and means at right angles to said track means for withdrawing mandrels axially from their coatings and delivering them to said return track means, part of said first track means being movable from a track-completing position to a mandrel-receiving position aligned with said return track means, whereby mandrels may make a complete operating circuit with their axes remaining always parallel to that about which they are coated in said mandrelcoating means.

10. In a machine for forming pipes by applying coatings of asbestos-cement or the like to mandrels, mandrel-coating means, rectilinear track means along which mandrels may roll to and from said coating means, part of said track means being movable from a track completing position to a mandrel-receiving position, return track means parallel to said first track means, means at right angles to said track means for withdrawing mandrels axially from their coatings and delivering them to said return track means, and a plurality of spaced rollers arranged with their axes parallel to said track means and aligned with said mandrel-receiving position, whereby mandrels may make a complete operating circuit with their axes remaining always parallel to that about which they are coated in said mandrel-coating means.

11. In a machine for forming pipes by applying coatings of asbestos-cement or the like to mandrels, mandrel-coating means, a pair of spaced rails forming rectilinear track means along which mandrels may roll to and irom said coating means, part of said track means being movable from a track-completing position to a mandrelreceiving position, a second pair of spaced rails forming return track means parallel to said first track means, means at right angles to said track means for withdrawing mandrels axially from their coatings, a plurality of spaced rollers arranged with their axes parallel to said track means and located between the spaced rails of said movable part in the mandrel-receiving position thereof, and a second plurality of spaced rollers arranged with their axes parallel to said track means at the end of said return track means and in alignment with said first series of rollers, whereby mandrels may make a complete operating circuit with their axes remaining always parallel to that about which they are coated in said mandrel-coating means.

' JOHN ARTHUR CANN. 

